Lath-machine.



J. A. BERGREN & J. H. MOAN. LATH MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0OT.4,1907.

909, 1 39, v Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. A BERGREN-& J. H. MOAN.

LATE MACHINE. APPLICATION 1711.21) OUT. 4, 1907.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. A. BERGRE N & J. H. MOAN. LATH MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4,1907. 909, 139.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

auvanhoq I V I attmm Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

K H N kw. NW... ME... Q:\\ @E Rm wit" eases UNITED STATE% PATENT JOHN A. BERGREN AND JOHN H. MOAN, OF LAKE PARK, MINNESOTA.

LATE-MACHINE Patented Ian. 12, 1909.

Application filed October 4, 1907. Serial No. 395,958.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. Bnnennn and JOHN H. Moan, citizens of the United States, residing at Lake Park, in the county of Becker, State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Lath-liachine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in lath machines, and its object is to provide a i'nachine especially adapted for easy transportation from place to place, and for the ready conversion of timber otherwise useless into laths of commercial utility.

It often transpires that upon farms there is a large quantity of timber unsuited for use except as fire wood, or it may be that the available timber cannot be economically transported to a mill to be converted into commercial form. The present invention is designed to convert such timber into the form of commercial types of laths which can be either used in buildings near where the timber is available or may be economically transported for considerable distances and there sold for use in buildings being erected at more remote places.

Now, since small power units are very common in country districts where timber is available but where it is not practically possible to transport such timber to mills where it may be cut up into commercial forms, a cheaply constructed but efficient saw mill which may be easily transported from place to place and is adapted to convert timber otherwise useless first into lath bolts and afterward into laths of commercial form, becomes highly useful as a means for converting into a valuable commodity timber which otherwise has but little commercial value.

It is for the purpose of reducing to valuable form timber which has heretofore been practically wasted or has had but little commercial value, that the present invention is directed.

To this end, the invention comprises a machine including a gang of saws set for cutting laths of commercial size, with feed means for presenting the wood to the saws, together with a saw arranged to cut logs of wood into lath bolts of appropriate size. For the purpose of feeding the logs previously cut up into four-foot lengths to the saw by which these logs are reduced to planks of appropriate thickness to constitute lath bolts, there is provided a saw mill carriage with head blocks and set works by means of which the logs may be suitably presented to the saw, and means are pro vided for propelling the carriage and feeding the logs to the saw and for returning the carriage to its initial position.

The parts are so constructed that the saw mill feeding mechanism may be removed from the part carrying the lath saws in order that the structure may be reduced to easily transportable size, while provision is made for uniting these parts so that they coact to form a structure by means of which logs may be readily converted into laths by such unskilled labor as may be found about a farm.

The invention in its practical embodiment, and the purposes for which the various parts have been designed to meet the end in view, will be best understood. by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which;-

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the two parts of the framework of the machine separated one from the other, with the greater portion of the mechanism omit-ted and some parts shown in section and also disassociated from the rest of the machine; Fig. 3 is a section on the line aa-m of Fig. 1, also with parts omitted Fig. 4 is an end view, with parts in section and other parts broken away, of that portion of the machine for cutting the bolts into laths; and F ig. 5 is a section on the line y-y of Fig. 1.

Referring first to Fig. 2, it will be observed that there is an elongated frame 1 through which, near one end, are two bolt holes 2 for the passage of bolts 3 extending through spacing blocks 1- abutting agains the legs 5 of another frame 6, the legs 5 also being perforated for the passage of the bolts 3. Considering the two frames 1 and 6, it will be observed that their longer diameters are at right angles one to the other, while the frame 6 is attached to the frame 1 near one end thereof. However, the frame 6 may be easily and quickly disconnected from the frame 1 by the removal of the bolts 3.

As will be observed from a consideration of Figs- 1, 2 and 5, the frame 1 has on its side members two longitudinally spaced tracks 7-7 upon which run the wheels 8 of a carriage 9, which latter upon its upper face has two spaced 'guideways l0 constituting supports for racks 11 and also supporting the logs to be cut up into lath bolts. The guideways 10 extend laterally across the carriage 9 at right angles to its line of travel; Upon the ends of the rack bars 11 are erected posts 12 to which are fixed uprights 13 carrying sliding blocks 14 support ing dogs 15, the blocks and dogs being secured in place by suitable clamping means under the control of a handle 16. The racks are moved by pinions on a shaft 17 carrying a ratchet Wheel 18 under the control of a pawl 19 on a pawl lever 20. This pawl may be spring controlled, wnile there is a segmental guide 21 on one side of the lever embraced by a bracket 22 on the lever, and in the path of this brack the segmental guide carries stop pins 23 which may, if desired,be made adjustable, so that the sweep of the arni20 may be controlled and the feed of the set works be correspondingly controlled to fix the thickness of the lath bolts cut from the log.

The construction of the carriage is such that a log placed thereon is held firmly by the dogs 15 in the usual manner and may be fed forward from time to time by the proper manipulation of the handle 20 after the manner, usually employed in saw mills. In order thatthe carriage may be fed along the tracks 7 there is mounted in the frame 1 a drum 24 around which is wound a rope 25, one end passing around a pulley 26 at the corresponding end of the frame and thence returning to the remoter end of the carriage where it is fastened, as indicated at 27, while the other end of the rope passes around an other pulley 28 at the other end of the frame and returning passes under the carriage and is secured to a windlass 29 at the end of the carriage toward the pulley 26. This windlass 29 is provided with holes 30 for the application of. a suitable lever by means of which the rope 25 may be wound upon said windlass and thus any slack in the rope may be taken up. Any suitable means for keeping the Windlass in the adjusted position may be used, either a pawl and ratchet or simply a pin put through one of the holes 30 and allowed to engage the adjacent portion of the carriage rame. The drum 24is mounted upon a shaft 31 having suitable bearings in the side bars of the frame 1, and this shaft is continued to one side where it carries a sprocket wheel 32.

Journaled in the end piece of the frame 6 adjacent to the frame 1 is another shaft 33 carrying upon one end a sprocket pinion 34 andupon the other end a friction disk The pinion 34 and sprocket wheel 32 are coupled by a sprocket chain 36, so that when the shaft 33 is rotated the drum 24 will participate in such rotation. Any want of alinement or any sagging of the parts due to uneven, support will be compensated for by the flexible connectionsdue tothe sprocket wheels and chain.

On a cross beam 37 on the frame 6 there is journaled an upright shaft 33 from which project in opposite directions rock arms 39 having ends 40 turned toward the disk On the-ends of the arms 40 are formed journal bearings 41 for a shaft 42 disposed in a horizontal plane diametrical to the face of the disk The shaft 42 carries between the two journal bearings 41 two friction wheels 43-44. The friction wheel 43 may be fixed upon the shaft 42, while the friction wheel 44 ismovahle longitudinally thereon and is constrained to rotate therewith by a spline 45. vided with a hub having an annular groove 46 in which engages an arm 47 having its upper end 48 formed with av nut. receiving the threaded end49 of a rod 50 journaled in a block 51v fast on one of the side bars of the frame 6 and extending to the exterior thereof where it is provided with a. hand wheel 52 within easy reach of an operator. The shaft 38 has secured toit at its upper end. an operating lever 53 whereby the shaft may be rocked on a vertical axis. By this means either of the friction wheels 43 and 44 may be brought into contact with the disk 35, or they may be both, movedv out of contact with said disk, and the location of the friction wheels uponthe shaft 42,.is' such that when the wheel 43 is brought intocontact with the disk 35, assuming the friction wheels to have a constant direction of rotation, the disk will be rotated in one di rection, and. when the friction wheel 44 is arought into contact withv said disk the latter will be rotated in the other direction. It is desirable, however, as will presently appear, that the disk be rotated, in the different directions at different speeds, and for this purpose the relation of thefriction wheel 44 to the axis of the disk 35 is adjustable, so that the wheel 44 may be moved longitudinally on the shaft 42. tobring the wheel 44 nearer to or farther from. the axis of the disk 35, thus determining the speed of rotation of the disk 35 with relation to the speed of rotation of the shaft 42;

Upon one end of the shaft. 42, which is extended beyond the corresponding journal bearing 41 for the purpose, there issecured a pulley 53. Immediately belowv the shaft 42 there is another shaft 54 journaled inthe frame 6 parallel with the shaft42. in its central position, and the shaft 54 is provided with a pulley 55 smaller than the pulley 53 and connected thereto by a belt 56. The shaft 54also carries another pulley 57'larger than the pulley 5'5 and connected byaibelt 58 toa small r pulley 59 upon an arbor- 60 j ournaled in the angles to the shaft 54, The-arbor.- (iOhas at This friction. wheel 44 is pro top of the, frame Gati right 7 V v one end a belt pulley 61 and at the other end carries a circular saw 62 parallel with the longer side of the frame 1 and located in the space between the end of the frame 6 and the frame 1, which space is determined by the length of the spacing blocks at. The saw 62 is held true by a saw guide 63 carried by the frame 6.

Now, let it be assumed that power is applied to the pulley 61 as by a belt 6 k, simply indicated in Fig. 1, and that the direction of rotation imparted to the arbor is that indicated by the arrows. Under these conditions the saw 62 is rotated at an appropriately high speed in the proper direction. Now, let it be supposed that there is mounted upon the carriage 9 a log of wood four feet long, which is the usual length of a lath, and that this log has been suitably adjusted and clamped thereon. The lever 53 is moved in the appropriate direction to bring the friction wheel 4st into contact with the disk 35. This will result in the rotation of the disk 35 in the direction of the arrow, that is, clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3. The drum 242 will therefore be rotated in a like direction, as indicated by the arrow, and the rope 25 coming from the pulley 28 will be wound up on said drum and unwound in the direction of the pulley 26. Under these conditions the carriage 9 is drawn toward the saw 62 in the direction indicated by the arrow and ultimately the log on the carriage is fed to the saw in the usual manner.

'When it is desired to reverse the carriage the friction wheel 14 is moved out of contact with the disk 35 by a proper manipulation of the lever 53 and the friction wheel 43 is brought into contact with said disk. Now, since the friction wheel 43 is closer to the axis of the disk 35 than is the friction wheel 44 the reverse movement of the carriage is more rapid than the feeding movement, and the proportionate speeds of feed and reverse may be adjusted by manipulating the hand wheel 52 to determine the relative distances of the friction wheels 13 and 4.4: from the axis of the disk 35.

By setting the log laterally between each cut lath bolts of appropriate thickness, say an inch and a half thick, may be cut from the log until said log is entirely used up. By this means any desired number of logs may be cut up into lath bolts and this may be done with the small power units usually at the command of farmers.

Mounted upon the frame 6 at the end remote from the saw 62 is a saw arbor 65 upon which is mounted a gang of circular saws 66 suitably spaced to cut lath bolts up into laths. This saw arbor carries a pulley 67 driven by a belt 68, which is simply indicated in Fig. 1. Upon the arbor 65 is a small belt pulley 69 from. which power is transmitted by a belt 70 to a large pulley 71 on a countershaft 72 journaled on the frame 6 parallel with the saw arbor 65. The countershaft 72 extends beyond the end of the frame 6 and there carries a sprocket pinion 7 3 by which power is transmitted through a sprocket chain 74 to a sprocket wheel 7 5 on a shaft 7 6 suitably journaled in the frame, and this shaft 76 carries asprocket pinion 77 connected by a sprocket chain 7 8 to two sprocket wheels 79 carried upon the ends of the shafts of spaced feed rolls 80 on each side of the gang of saws 66. The rolls 80 are located above other rolls 81 mounted in suitable bearings 82 fast on suitable cross beams on top of the frame 1. The bearings 82 are held in place by parallel bolts 83 continued up above the same and carrying the bearings 84- of the shafts of the rolls SO, and these last-named bearings are urged toward the bearings 82 by springs 85, the tension of which is adjustable by set-screws 86. The bolts 83 are supported at their upper ends and suitably spaced by strap irons 87 connecting the bolts and at their ends bent downward and secured firmly to the before-mentioned cross bars of the frame 1. By this means the rolls 80 and 81, constituting the feed rolls for the saws 66, are held firmly in place and the bite of the upper rolls 80, which are made corrugated for the purpose, may be regulated by the adjustment of the screws 86. The feed side of the saws 66 is located on the same side of the frame 6 as the discharge end of the saw 62, and on this side of the respective rolls 80 and 81 there is located a side guide plate 88 which leads to but is not extended beyond the cutting edge of the first of the adjacent one of the gang of saws 66. The supports of this plate 88 are made adjustable so that it may be made to approach toward or recede from the gang of saws. Extending across the top of the frame and constituting .an approach for the feed end of the saws 66 are beams 89 each carrying a loose roller 90, so that a lath bolt is supported as it approaches the feed rolls 80 and 81 to be fed to the saws 66.

In operative relation to the belt 7 0 there is an idler 91 mounted upon one end of an operating lever 92 suitably supported in the frame 6, so that the belt, which is normally too loose to transmit power from the arbor 65 to the shaft 72, may be put under such tension as to transmit this power. The purpose of transmitting power to the shaft 72 is to cause the rotation of the feed rolls 80, thus feeding the lath bolts presented to them to the saws 66. The chain 78 is passed over an adjustable guide 93 so that its degree of slackness may be adjusted, thus permitting a certain amount of flexibility in the driving mechanism for the rolls. Should the feed at any time prove too rapid for the saws 66, thus tending to heat them, as, for instance,

when there is presented to them a bolt of wood more difficult to out than usual, then the feed maybe eased up or stopped entirely by a proper manipulation of the lever 92. When a log is cut up into lath bolts these bolts drop on the same side of the machine from: which they are fed to the gang of sawsfifi, and, consequently, there is no extra handling, as would be the case if they were fed from the opposite side of the machine.

The saw arbor may be made longer than that shown and the shaft 72 may be shorter, so that another pulley may be mounted upon the arbor 60 and be brought into line with the pulley 67 and by means of a cross belt power be transmitted to said pulley 67. instead of using an extra belt 68. However, by'using two pulleys 61 and 67 and a. suitable countershaft the bolt cutting saw; (SQ'may be run when it is not desirable to use the lath cutting saws.

Bytheconstruction described there is provided means whereby laths may be easily and economically produced from timber which would otherwise be allowed to go to waste or would only be available for fire wood, and'when such timber is cut up into laths it is-worth many times its value as fire wood;

The machine as a whole is designed for use in. localities where it. may be necessary to transport it from place to place, and, consequently, the frame is separable to facilitate such transportation, without the necessity of dismantling any part of the working mechanismof the machine, since in order to separate the machine into transportable parts it is only necessary to remove two bolts and to disconnect the sprocket chain 36 from the sprocket wheel 32. All the working parts of the machine remain intact and afterthe machine has been moved to the desired locality it may be reunited without difficulty and without the adjustment of any parts. The structure is therefore particularly adaptable for use where skilled labor is not available.

The support for the log carrier is necessarily of considerable length, while the structure carrying the saws may be made more compact,.and it is for this reason that all the saws are carried upon one frame while the log carriage is mounted upon another frame, and these two structures are united to bring the bolt cutting saw into operative relation to the log carrier.

It is to be observed that the head blocks are made of two pieces bolted together. This is of advantage for should one of the head blocks break it is only necessary to renew the broken part instead of thewhole head block, as is usually the case.

e claim 1 1. In a lath machine, a frame carrying a saw, another frame carrying a log carriage, means for uniting the two frames to bring the log carriage into coactive relation with the saw, driving means on'the first frame for actuating both the saw and log carriage, and flexible connections interposed. in the driving means at the line of junction of the two frames, to compensate for uneven sup-* port for said two frames.

2. A lath mill comprising a suitable frame carrying a gang of saws for cutting lath bolts into laths and also carryingat one end a saw for cutting the logs into lat-h bolts, another frame carrying a log carriage for moving the log into and out of operative relation to the bolt saw, means for uniting the two frames, with the log cutting saw in operative relation to the log carriage, driving means on the first frame for actuating both the log cutting saw and the log car- .riage, and flexible connections interposed in the drivin means at the line of junction of the two frames to compensate for uneven support for said two frames.

3. In a lath mill, a frame provided with a log carriage movable lengthwise upon said frame, a shaft on. the frame having a sprocket wheel at one end' and at the other end carryinga drum, .connections'between the drum and log-carriage, another frame, means for securing the two frames together, a saw mounted upon the second frame in a position to be inoperative relation to the log carriagewhen the frames are united, carriage controlling means on the second frame, connected to the saw and having a shaft projected into contiguous relation to the drum carrying the shaft of the first frame and there carrying a sprocket wheel, and a sprocket chain connecting the two sprocket wheels.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. BERGREN. JOHN H; MOAN.

Witnesses O. C. HAGE, E. M. HAGE. 

